Interlocking switch and signal mechanism



(No Model.)

H. D. MILES. INTBRLOGKING SWITCH AND SIG-NAL MEGHANISM. No. 531,804.Patented Jan. l, 1895.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Ormes,

HENRY D. MILES, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO TI-.IE UNION SWITCHAND SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

INTERLOCKING SWITCH AND SIGNAL MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 'Patent No. 531,804, dated January1, 1895 Application filed October I 1894. Serial No. 525,471. (Nomodel.)

,To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, HENRY D. MILES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit,

, in the county of Wayne and State of Michi- 5 gan, have invented ordiscovered certain new and useful Improvements in Interlocking Switchand Signal Mechanism, of which improvements the following is aspecification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements ininterlocking mechanism of ground levers for switches and signals. It iscustomary to arrange ground levers for switches and signals in pairs,one member of each pair being connected to the switch rails, and theother to the signal, in such proximity to each other that a lockingmechanism maybe interposed between them. This locking mechanism usuallyconsists of a bar of alength a little greater than the distance betweenthe levers or parts 4connected thereto, so that one end of such bar mustproject into a recess in either the switch or signal lever, therebylocking the same, before the other lever can be shifted. It is customaryto make the ends of this bar conical, and the recesses in the signals orparts connected therewith, of corresponding shape, so that when therecesses in both levers are in line with the bar, the latter may beshifted by the movement of one of the levers, the inclined ends ofthebar and the walls of the recesses combining to effect suchlongitudinal movement of the bar. It has been found in practice, thatthese inclined ends rapidly wear away, so that after considerable use itis possible to force one of the levers out of locked position, while theother lever is in unlocked position.

The object of the present invention is to provide a locking mechanism ofsuch character as not to be liable to wear and to always present apositive lock for the levers.

In general terms, the invention Aconsists in the construction andcombination substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a top plan view of a pair of interlocked switch and signallevers having my improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the same, and Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional elevations, the'planes ofsection being indicated by the lines and y, y, respectively, of Fig. 1.

In the practice of my invention, a base plate 1, provided with bearingblocks 2 on its sides, is secured upon a suitable foundation 3, inconvenient proximity to the switch to be operated. In these blocks aremounted pins 4 and 5, and, on the projecting ends of these pins, areloosely mounted a pulley G and disk 7. To the pulley 6 and disk 7, aresecured the levers 8 and 9, respectively, whereby these parts may berotated on their pins. In the groove of the pulley 6, is attached oneend of a chain or other flexible connection, to the signal to beoperated, and the disk 7 is pro` vided with an eccentric pin connectedin the usual or any suitable manner to the movable rails of the switch.

Bars' 10 and 11 are mounted in the blocks 2, between the disk and thepulley. These bars are made of such a length relative to the distancebetween the disk and pulley, that one end thereof must project into arecess in either the disk or pulley, before the other can be operated.One end of each of the bars is made conical, so that it will it within acorresponding recess in either the pulley or disk, while the oppositeend is cut 0E square, and fits into a recess with straight walls, ineither the pulley or disk-as, for example, the bar 10, has one endconical and is adapted to tit into a correspondingly shaped recess 12,formed in the inner face of the pulley 6, while the opposite end of thebar 10, is cut o square and fits into a straight walled recess 13, inthe disk 7. The pin 11, however, is oppositely arranged, so that itsconical end will fit into a correspondingly shaped recess 12 in the disk7, while its squared end will fit into a straight-walled recess 13a inthe pulley 6. It results from this construction that the pin 10 can beshifted longitudinally by rotation of the pulley 6, but will not beaffected as regards longitudinal movement, by any attempted rotation ofthe disk 7. The

pin 11, however, will be shifted longitudinally by a rotation of thedisk 7, but will not be affected by the pulley G.

By reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the bars 10 and 11 areshifted to eect a locking movement by a rotation of the pulley and IOOdisk. In order to effect an unlocking move- ,ment of these bars, springs15 and 16 are placed around the bars and bear at their ends againstcollars 17 and 18, secured to the bars and the bearing blocks 2. Thesesprings can operate to shift the bars into unlocking position only whenthe conical recesses 12 and 12 are in line with the conical ends of thebars 1,0 and 11, respectively.

The normal position of the parts of tho mechanism is shown in Fig. 1,the rails being at clear main line and the signal at safety. While inthis position the squared end of pin 10 is held in the straight walledrecess in the disk 7, the point of said pin bearing against the side ofthe pulley 6, as shown in Fig. 3. At the same time, the conical end pin11 is held in its recess in disk 7 by spring 16, so that the switchlever 9 is locked and the signal lever 8 unlocked. If, now, the lever 8be shifted to put the signal at danger, the recesses in the side ofpulley 6 will come into line with the pins 10 and 1l. Thereupon the pin10 will be shifted by its spring 15 unlocking disk 7, and as thestraight walled recess in pulley is in line with its pin 1l, the lever 9can be pulled over, thereby shifting the pin 11 into its recess inpulley 6 and locking the signal at danger. The bar 10 also serves as anadditional lock, as its conical end would be forced into thecorrespondingly shaped recess in the pulley 6 by its spring when thelever 8 was shifted to danger position. If, now, the lever 9 be shiftedto move the switch rails to position for clear main line, the spring onthe pin 11, will shift saidpin longitudinally, thereby unlockingthe-lever 8, and the bar .10 can be shifted longitudinally by arotationbf the pulley 6, to clear the signal, as the straightwalledrecess in the disk 7 would come into line with the bar IO, as soon aslever 9 is shifted to normal position. The recesses 12, 13, 12a and 13a,are so located as to be in line with the bars 10 and 11 only when thelevers 8 and 9 are in normal position with the switch rails at clearmain line and the signal at safety, thereby necessitating the shiftingof the signal to danger before the movable rails can be shifted to opensiding, and the maintenance of the signal in such position until themovable rails have been returned to clear main line.

The bar 10 is the lock for the switch lever 9 and the bar 11 for thesignal lever 8, as, by reason of their squared ends engaging thestraight-walled recesses, an attempt to rotate disk or pulley will nothave any tendency to shift the bars.

As an additional protection as against shifting the switch rails tosiding before the signal has been set to danger, the lever 8 is providedwith an arm 20, which projects beyond the line of movement of the switchlever 9, and bears upon the front edge ofthe same, so that when themechanism has been set up the signal must be set at danger before theswitch rails can be set to siding, and the switch rails must be set toclear main line before the signal can be cleared. This construction can,if desired, be reversed, by forming the arm on the switch lever, inwhich the arm would project behind the signal lever.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. In a switch and signal mechanism,'thecombination of a switch operating mechanism and a signal operatingmechanism, each provided with a conical and a straight-walled recess andtwo longitudinally movable bars, each having a conical and a straight ornoninclined end, said bars being of a length greater than the distancebetween said mechanisms by an amount equal to the depth of the recesses,substantially as set forth.

2. In a switch and signal mechanism, the combination of a switchoperating mechanism and a signal operating mechanism, each provided witha conical and a straight-walled recess, two longitudinal bars, eachhaving a conical and a straight or non-inclined end, said bars being ofa length greater than the distance between said mechanisms by an amountequal to the depth of the recesses, and springs for shifting the barsout of .locking position, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HENRY D. MILES.

Vitnesses: GEO. E. TEGART, G. SCHNEIDER.

